the bag. but if you come back tomorrow, i swear i will tell you and it is totally worth waiting for. doing this five years, still can't figure out how long the show is. sorry. five years. still can't figure out how long the show is. sorry. "first look" is up next. good morning to you. right now on "first look", high alert. american military forces looking to see if north korea will launch missiles today many. the senate will vote on gun control, while michelle obama gets emotional about the tragedy of guns and youth violence. >> polls on immigration, guns and the president's approval rating. and he believes time is running out for us on earth. two teenagers find super human strength to lift a 3,000 pound tractor off their trapped father. four firefighters are safe after responding to a call and

being taken hostage and held at gunpoint. s.w.a.t. teams stormed a home killing that suspect. the firefighters responded to a routine 911 call. an unidentified gunman whose home was reportedly in foreclosure demanded to have his power and cable turned back on. when it was determined the firefighters's lives were in danger, they stormed the home. shots were exchanged. the gunman was killed. >> the world continues on high alert watching and waiting for signs of an expected north korean missile launch. no signs of that on the streets of pyongyang. people were dancing of the dynasty. defense secretary chuck hagel

calls the system combustible saying they are close to crossing a dangerous line with their words and actions but the u.s. is prepared. >> he is unpredictable. that country is unpredictable. if that is the reality that we're dealing with, and it is, you prepare for every contingency, and we are. >> officials in seoul say there are no signs. moving to the senate today, it is scheduled to begin a debate on a fragile bipartisan bill on firearms sales. the first step on a hot-button issue that caused the first lady to dive into the policy debate. tracie potts is in washington, d.c. >> she was emotional talking about this in chicago. new poll numbers indicating 55% of the country supports stronger gun laws. by the way, the numbers break

down along party lines. now, those are the numbers here in washington. we are seeing some of the emotion. washington full of emotion on gun control. senator joe manchin with families from the newtown, connecticut school shooting. >> i'm a parent. >> the first lady talking to students about the tragic shooting of hadiya pendleton. and on capitol hill. >> victoria soto, age 27. >> william leroy burton jr. >> a vigil reading the names of victims of gun violence. later this morning we will see if a threatened filibuster will stop or slow down a vote on the gun bill. a more likely deal struck by joe manchin and republican pat

toomey would expand background checks on gun shows and online sales. it includes easing restrictions on interstate gun sales. >> you can pass all the laws that you want and the criminal element is going to sit back and smile. >> background checks include broad polls and in washington it's still in limbo. more action on the national mall this time on gun control. we have shooting victims later this morning who are laying to lay out a memorial to people who have been killed in gun violence. their aim here is to get lawmakers not just about voting on these issues but to really feel the impact. tracie potts, thank you in washington, d.c. vice president joe biden will discuss gun control and gun safety as well. connecticut's new gun control laws are apparently to blame for one gun manufacturer's plan to leave the state and with others threatening to follow as well.

the 20 to 50 employees will follow to the new location, which has not yet been announced. they posted on facebook, the new gun measures trample on citizens's rights. they can no longer survive in the former constitution state and invites other vendors to join is them in that move. now, here's your "first look" at scrambled politics. nbc news/wall street journal poll showing president obama's job approval rating has fallen below 50%. more than two-thirds support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers. anthony weiner is eyeing for run for new york city. he resigned after being cut in a sexting scandal. and no leftover money from

his failed campaign to sarah palin. the unspent $1.3 million was put in an account for future mcclain political runs >> the official dedication ceremony will be held next month. >> rand paul delivered a speech at howard university wednesday where he was again put in the spotlight over civil rights. >> i've never waivered in my support for civil rights or the civil rights act. the dispute, if there is one, has always been about how much of the remedy should come under federal or state or private purview. >> you might remember the issue dog paws ultimately successful 120 senate campaign. the group mayors against gun violence targeted florida senator marco rubio.

it slams rubio saying his presidential ambitions make florida less safe. and joe barton citing the old testament about man made global warming and said bp was the victim of the shakedown after the gulf oil spill. >> if you're a believer in the bible, one would have to say the great flood is an example of climate change that. certainly wasn't because mankind overdeveloped hydrocarbon energy. >> that's your morning dish of politics. ice and high winds took aim at the central u.s. on wednesday. a suspected tornado tore through central arkansas, destroying a church, flipping trucks. four people injured there. in minnesota, heavy rain is causing rivers and streams to swell. several tornados and power outages caused them to declare a

state of mental. and snow caught drivers off guard with 200 wrecks in the lubbock area. >> you know, it's this cold front. ahead of it it is so warm. temperatures just tumbled with some snow reported. 41 in dallas. you can see the warm air trying to hang on to the southeast. but it's not hard to find that cold front that is sitting right through areas like western kentucky, western tennessee, and stretching into southern texas. along that line we have heavy downpours, severe storms still possible. we also have lost the threat of tornado watches right now across kentucky and tennessee. but there's the best chance of seeing more severe storms into the panhandle of florida today. we'll keep an eye out for those severe storms. and heavy snow across parts of

minnesota where a foot of snow is possible. tornados, hail, heavy gusty winds and snowfall totals up around a foot. this is one of those storms that has most of the country talking. >> yeah. with concerns about tornadic activity. stocks continue to surge today. we'll tell you what's moving your money. plus, an amazing medical break through about pain and your brain. a new bridge has a real fire-breathing dragon. it's not disneyland. "first look" is back in three. [ male announcer ] what are happy kids made of?

bikes and balloons, and noodles on spoons.

a kite, a breeze, a dunk of grilled cheese. catches and throws, and spaghettio's. a wand, some wings, soup with good things. sidewalks and doodles and wholesome noodles. puddles and pails and yes, puppy dog tails. for a lunch like this, there's a hug and a kiss. because that's what happy kids are made of. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

and stories making news this morning for you. tens of thousands of immigrants and activists on the national mall wednesday to press for action on immigration. they want congress to approve a way for 11 million to become citizens. in the new england journal of medicine scientists report they can see pain on brain scans. early stages reveal the ability to measure intensity of pain and tell whether medicine is doing anything to relieve it. physicist stephen hawking said the end is near. the famed scientist said humans

must venture into space to survive because the earth won't last another 1,000 years. a local family ate it. they promised him a bigger and better looking camel. vietnam unveiled a new bridge shaped like a dragon. yes, it does breathe fire. it is lit by 2,500 l.e.d. lights. a new jersey based company beat the six lane bridge for $85 million. a group of heli-skiers in pakistan. using a helicopter to transport them there, the crew dropped on a snow-covered range over 16,000 feet above sea level. heading down incredible steep slope on one of the tallest peaks. they are the first skiers to tackle the mountain >> we go to cnbc.

good morning. >> good morning to you. president obama will meet with the ceos of several big u.s. banks, including jpmorgan, citigroup and bank of america. they will address immigration reform, cyber security. march sales today, total sales are expected to drop 1% due to the early easter hole day. as cold weather continues to hurt stores trying to sell spring merchandise >> microsoft is thinking about a smaller screen. wall street journal reports the company is developing a 7-inch tablet to go into production later this year as it competes against google's nexus and let's not forget the ipad mini. another big rally on wall street drove the s&p and dow to record closes. one reason, the federal reserve reaffirmed its money policy. news came from meeting minutes

sent to several big banks tuesday night. fed officials realized that mistake and released the minutes a bit earlier. weekly jobless claims are out this morning. investors are anxious to find out whether last week's dismal reports were a fluke or troubling trend. toyota, honda, nissan announcing the recall of 3 million vehicles worldwide due to possible air bag defects. yum brands reported china's deadly bird flu outbreak has taken a 13% toll on sales. foreclosures fell to the lowest level, down 23% from last march. pcs losing more ground than tablets. the most in two decades. saturday mail has a little bit of a reprieve. ending saturday delivery is the best way to save cash. taco bell said 20/20 a fifth of

its menu will meet fda guidelines for calories and fat. people on social media are ruder and more likely to hurl insults than in person. only in chicago meet the guy who brings a bat to a gun fight and wins it. plus, across america where nature's fury and the aftermath had these consequences. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. at tyco integrated security, we consider ourselves business optimizers.

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nra a-rated democrat joe manchin needed a republican dance partner on a background checks agreement. to find one, old friend pat toomey completed the duo. a fiscal conservative and nra ally. joining me now is bob franken on the phone with us. good morning to you, bob. the question here might be does toomey, now that he's part of the duo, announced the agreement, does he bring enough cover and democratic aide saying he could bring along 12 other republicans. what do you think? >> well, i think at least he will bring them along to the point we can expect they will get past the filibuster and start the arduous process of debating the gun bill with all the amendments that's going to be offered. many would weaken what many were gun control advocates say is

already being weakened. >> looking at the numbers, only 27% of republicans support stricter gun laws. look at toomey right now, why is he doing this? he faces reelection in three years in a swing state, pennsylvania. he's got to be making some calculations when it comes to the political capital he's expending. >> i think you said the key word, swing state. pennsylvania is not one of those hard-nosed republican states. it can go either way. he might be trying to appeal to the suburban voters. >> what is your thought here? does he lose his a rating from the nra? >> well, you know, the nra has been playing quite an interesting game. its reaction to this latest proposal is kind of mild. president obama probably said exactly the right thing. he said in his statement, this is not my bill. of course he's considered say it an by so many hard-nosed republicans.

what there seems to be in this behind the scenes effort to get as little damage as possible. >> that vote in the senate today. thank you so much, bob franken. other news going on around american. chicago store owner brought a bat to a gun fight and won it. he repeatedly swung even as the gunman continued to fire at him. the violent struggle ended with both suspects running off. in texas, lightning called an oil tank to ignite. it shot flames several feet into the air. it lasted 15 minutes before firefighters put it out. two oregon teens put on an extraordinary show of strength after their dad accidentally flipped a tractor on top of himself. >> i was saying, god help me over and over. i obviously could not lift it myself. it was heavy. >> with no time to waste, the 14-year-old and 16-year-old rescued their father by lifting the the 3,000 pound vehicle just

enough for him to wiggle free. finally, a hawaii man nearly became fish food while he was fishing in his kayak. a tiger shark leaped from the ocean and stole his catch as he was reeling it in. it sent shock waves throughout the fisherman. he was more happy to be the one that got away this time around. in sports, the best record in the nba with win number 62 for the heat. the heat's big stars were not playing. ray allen, 23 points. miami 103-98 win and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. speaking of heat, kris humphries and kevin garnett threw elbows. no fouls were called. nets beat the celtics there. university of louisville celebrating ncaa men's basketball championship as students cheering the cardinals victory on campus. coach rick petino already

looking ahead to the next season. >> i preach let's live for today, let's live in the present. but wouldn't it be great if we somehow got back to dallas next year. three-run homer in the ninth and gave orioles a win. it ended at 820 games after almost 10 years. to chicago, a goats head was sent to tom rickets at wrigley field. there was no note. cubs players and fans are all familiar with the billy goat curse that some believe was kept them out of the series. it was placed on the team back in 1945 when a restaurant owner was asked to leave for bringing a goat to the ballpark. the cubs are 4-4 so far this season >> it might be the easiest $7 million katy perry ever earned. we'll tell you how. ...so you say men are superior drivers? yeah?

then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check? every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. silence. are you in good hands? with the innovating and the transforming and the revolutionizing. it's enough to make you forget that you're flying five hundred miles an hour on a chair that just became a bed. you see, we're doing some changing of our own. ah, we can talk about it later. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving.

katy perry $7 million mansion is up for sale if you're in the market. it was originally purchased by russell brand. after he and perry filed for divorce in 2011 the rights went to perry. she's looking to sell it. for the record, her and brand never even moved into the house. lindsay lohan is off to rehab next month to supposedly get her life in order. buff the public has little faith in the actress. 80% of respondents in a yahoo! poll say there's no chance for a comeback. tom cruise and morgan freeman shut down hollywood

boulevard complete with a giant spacecraft. former sex pistols front man johnny rotten does not like to be interrupted during interviews take a listen. >> well, can i get your thoughts -- >> hey, hey, mrs., mrs. shut up. whoever you are. shut up. shut up. shut up. now, listen, when a man is talking, do not interrupt. >> that's like dylan and myself at break. joel mchale is shooting a christmas movie. it involves his crotch being set on fire. his screen test for the scene he nonchalantly walks backwards, pants on fire, looking down at that blaze. all in a day's work. >> i feel like the pat to put it out could have been scarier. >> i'm sure there's some insulation somehow, some place.

>> there's got to be. >> this is your "first look" on msnbc. way too early starts right now. i think what was the "game change"er in the minds of american people saying enough is enough is what happened to those beautiful babies up in sandy hook. look, joe, this is one of the cases where the public is so far ahead of the elected officials. i mean, so far ahead. you saw it in immigration, marriage issues, you're seeing it now. the public has moved to a different place. >> vice president joe biden at our roundtable yesterday.